The IMF has disclosed that Pakistan could add 5-6.5 percent to its GDP over five years simply by fixing the lapses and exploitation of the governance structure of the state. This is an extraordinary opportunity cost—one Pakistan has paid, year after year, without fully acknowledging the scale of the loss and its impact; notably, on that segment of the citizens of the country who struggle to make their ends meet. This means that by fixing its own doing, the state can move millions out of poverty.

The International Monetary Fund’s (IMF’s) newly released Governance and Corruption Diagnostic Assessment (GCDA) does not consume itself in reflecting errant individuals or isolated scandals, but has opted to hit on the core of the problem, which it identifies as: the entrenched ecosystem of systemic weaknesses that fuel mis-governance across state institutions.

The report, long delayed and now finally made public as a precondition for the IMF Board’s upcoming USD 1.2 billion disbursement, is perhaps the most candid external assessment of Pakistan’s governance architecture in years. And while the findings hardly surprise a nation fatigued by decades of mismanagement, what stands out is the report’s stark economic cost: Pakistan could add 5-6.5 percent to its GDP over five years simply by........

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